Warren Moon still can't find the end zone against the Green Bay Packers. This time, he didn't have to.
Minnesota's defense scored its fourth touchdown of the season Thursday night and held the Packers to just 48 yards in the second half, while Moon also struggled to move the Vikings.Moon finally led the Vikings to a tying field goal by Fuad Reveiz with 17 seconds left in regulation and the winning kick 4:26 into overtime for a 13-10 win.
"They all don't have to be real pretty," Minnesota linebacker Jack Del Rio said. "We did enough to win; that's the bottom line."
Thanks to the defense, Minnesota (5-2) salvaged a game it seemed destined to lose and kept the Packers (3-4) from getting back into the NFC Central race. The Vikings lead Chicago by a half-game, awaiting the Bears' trip to Detroit on Sunday.
Time after time Thursday, the Vikings stuffed Green Bay, only to watch their offense wilt against the Packers' relentless pass rush.
Moon was 20-for-45 for 156 yards with two interceptions and had been sacked four times - twice by Sean Jones - when the Vikings took over at their own 34 with 5:32 left in regulation, trailing 10-7.
The offense hadn't been within 30 yards of the end zone and had run just seven plays in Green Bay territory. It was similar to Green Bay's season-opening 16-10 win, in which Moon threw for 166 yards and was intercepted three times in his Vikings debut.
Minnesota was driving late in that game, too, until Green Bay linebacker James Willis caught Moon's final pass at the Packers 22 with 1:52 to play.
This time, Moon came through.
He hit seven of 10 passes for 58 yards to lead Minnesota to Reveiz's first field goal, a 29-yarder that sent the game into overtime.
Moon was 4-for-5 for 57 yards on the first possession of the extra period, setting up Reveiz's 27-yarder for the win.
"Oh, it was frustrating," Moon said of Green Bay's defensive pressure. "When you get that much heat, it makes you a little jittery at times, then you start to throw the ball a little quicker than you want to. But we held in there. That's what they pay me the big bucks to do."
Still, the Packers almost pulled even with Minnesota in the division race, and they nearly did it after losing quarterback Brett Favre with a hip pointer in the first quarter.
The Packers pointed out the season is a long way from over.
"We're not going to hang our heads now," cornerback Corey Harris said. "Once this team comes together - the special teams, defense and offense - we'll be tough."
Favre was injured less than six minutes into the game when he was hit from behind after throwing an incompletion.
Two plays later, he tried to force a pass, but defensive end James Harris dropped into coverage and leaped high for his first career interception.
Harris, who scored Minnesota's only touchdown in the opener on a 13-yard fumble return, lumbered 25 yards before Favre swatted the ball free. It bounced into the arms of Anthony Parker at the 23.
Parker, whose 44-yard interception return for a TD sparked Minnesota's win over the New York Giants, ran untouched for a 7-0 lead. It was the Vikings' 14th defensive touchdown in the last 35 regular-season games, best in the NFL.
"It was a fortunate bounce for us," Parker said. "I just happened to be there."
But backup quarterback Mark Brunell, a second-year player seeing his first NFL action, rallied the Packers in the second quarter.
He led a short drive that ended with Chris Jacke's 50-yard field goal to make it 7-3, then completed five of seven passes on a 69-yard touchdown drive. His 5-yard run put the Packers up 10-7 with 50 seconds left in the half.
Brunell finished 11-for-24 for 79 yards, and his fumbled snap at the Minnesota 22 cost Green Bay a crucial scoring chance in the fourth quarter.
"I don't think I've ever gone into a game with the stakes so high, against such a talented team," Brunell said. "It would have been nice to win. When you have a defense like ours, you don't have to score a lot of points."
Neither do the Vikings, but Moon finally got them just enough.